Oak Ridge National Laboratory · 23 hours ago
Postdoctoral Research Associate - AI for Hydrological Modeling
Tennessee (TN)
Full-time
Onsite
New Grad, Entry LevelOak Ridge National Laboratory is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate in the areas of Hydrological and Earth System Modeling and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The successful candidate will develop and apply AI foundation models for hydrological modeling, conduct data analysis, and collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to advance predictive understanding of complex environmental systems.
Advanced MaterialsClean EnergyEnergyEnergy ManagementManufacturingNuclearRenewable Energy
Responsibilities
Develop and apply AI foundation models for hydrological and Earth system modeling, with emphasis on improving predictive capabilities for compound flooding in coastal regions
Design and implement physics-informed and physics-ML hybrid approaches that integrate domain knowledge with data-driven methods to advance hydrological process understanding and prediction
Conduct multimodal, multiscale data analysis by integrating diverse datasets (e.g., in situ observations, remote sensing products, model simulations) to inform model development, calibration, and validation
Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of hydrologists, Earth scientists, and computational scientists to leverage leadership-class computing resources for large-scale model training, testing, and deployment
Contribute to the development of scalable, explainable, and uncertainty-aware AI methods that enhance model robustness, reliability, and scientific discovery
Publish research findings in high-impact journals and present results at national and international conferences
Engage with collaborators across DOE laboratories, universities, and partner agencies to broaden the applications of AI-enabled hydrological modeling
Ensure compliance with ORNL’s safety, security, quality, and environmental standards while carrying out all research activities
Qualification
Required
A Ph.D. in Hydrology, Earth system science, Water resources engineering, Computational sciences, Computer sciences or a related field completed within the last 5 years (or expected soon)
Demonstrated experience in hydrological or Earth system modeling, with emphasis on process understanding and prediction
Strong background in computational sciences, including numerical methods, high-performance computing (HPC), or large-scale data analysis
Experience in applying AI/ML techniques to hydrological and Earth sciences
Proficiency in scientific programming languages such as Python, Julia, R, Fortran, or C/C++
Evidence of scholarly productivity, including peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations
Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team environment
Preferred
Knowledge of uncertainty quantification methods and causal inference for complex environmental systems
Experience with large-scale Earth system simulations, particularly using the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM)
Background in coastal and compound flooding simulations, including subsurface–surface and hydrodynamic interactions
Demonstrated ability and strong motivation to conduct innovative, high-impact research and disseminate results through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations
Benefits
Matching 401K
Pension Plan
Paid Vacation
Medical / Dental plan
Credit Union
Medical Clinic
Free Fitness facilities
Company
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory holds a range of R&D assignments, from fundamental nuclear physics to applied R&D on advanced energy systems.
Founded in 1943
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Oak Ridge National Laboratory has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (268)
2024 (276)
2023 (223)
2022 (228)
2021 (192)
2020 (152)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$9.8MKey Investors
US Department of Energy
2023-09-21Grant· $4.8M
2023-07-27Grant
2022-03-14Grant· $5M
Leadership Team
Arjun Shankar
Director, Compute and Data Environment for Science
Brett Ellis
Group Lead - Business Systems Operations
Recent News
2026-01-03
2025-12-13
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